Travel: Inaugural trip to Morocco
Initially drawn to Morocco because it is a homeland of henna with unique styles, tools and rituals, I discovered a new home.
We were fairly intrepid as travelers-
We hired cars, and went to the Sunday market
Ate fresh squeezed olive oil
Got hennaed
Wept with locals when it rained
Wandered the New City -Gueliz
Said our own silent prayer when the call rang out in the evening
Tried our hand at grinding argan oil,
and saw the goats in trees
We had Thanksgiving Lunch at Majorelle Gardens with a surprising number of Americans
Drinks at the night clubs in Hivernage
We almost got locked in the sooq at night
There was a LOT of mint tea - and coffee
and we walked and walked and walked
BATHING CULTURE
The hammam (bath houses) dates back to the early days of the Islamic Empire, with ritual washing before prayer being instilled as part of the culture. The literal meaning of ‘hammam’ is spreader of warmth, and bath houses are places that promote health and community.
HOW TO USE SAVON BELDI
As an esthetician, and lover of global beauty traditions, Morocco was a feast and a treat. Some of the most divine natural skincare is native to Morocco: Prickly Pear Cactus, Orange Blossoms, Roses and Saffron.
terra cotta bowl of soaking salts and roses alongside a heel-stone waiting for us in the riad
I came home inspired to create a line of products that focus on Moroccan ingredients: Alchemy Prickly Pear Serum, Savon Beldi (Black Soap), and M’hekka ‘heel stones’.
Alchemy, LLC 2019-2023
I am suspicious of the romanticized view we tend to have in our minds of Moroccan fashion, jewelry and habits. A lot of what we are presented is filtered through a European aesthetic and American social media.
WE FOUND
The city-dwellers in Marrakech and Essaouira were modern with iPhones and other trappings of the twenty-first century. There was a lot of dangerous henna and lots in the sooqs that was clearly there for tourists - the Argan Collectives are very Americana-style road-side attraction…
But there was LOTS that was chic, authentic, rich, lovely and steeped in history and tradition.
We were fortunate to have guides that were either Marakshi, or folks who had grown up in the country-side and moved to the cities - they were patient and kind and delighted to share —where to get the best breakfast on the street, help us sample the goods properly in the market, and navigate in several languages we didn’t speak.
A WORD ABOUT THE FOOD
You know how when you travel you can get tired of ‘eating out’? That never happened. The food is fresh, roasted, flavorful.
If you’re in metro-Detroit we are lucky to have @tasteofmarrakech16 - Chef Layla does pop ups all over. And Saffron de Twah does a great mint tea service and has Moroccan-fusion food.
One of the casualties of the pandemic is ‘travel plans’. I was supposed to be leaving next week with a group to have an intensive, immersive henna-centric trip back to Morocco. Instead I will have to satisfy myself with the memories writing this has conjured of my trip of almost a year ago.
